Summary

As always, the USA was favored but the German team, led by 100 metre champion [Armin Hary] and top hurdler [Martin Lauer], was expected to challenge them. And in the first round, Germany equaled the world record with 39.5. In the final, [Frank Budd] opened for the US, and quickly pulled away, but the changeover to [Ray Norton] was made clearly out of the zone. Norton slowed dramatically, trying to keep the exchange legal, and the Germans went ahead, although Norton had a slight lead by the second exchange, outrunning Hary. Another poor exchange occurred however, and at the final exchange, Lauer had a two-metre lead on [Dave Sime]. Sime ran one of the great anchor legs to bring the US home in what was at first thought to be a world record 39.4 (39.59). But the US was properly disqualified and the Germans won the gold medal.

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